Dolgen Exits Viacom

Jonathan Dolgen has resigned as president of Viacom Entertainment Group, which includes Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, King World Productions, Paramount Domestic Television, Simon & Schuster, Famous Players and Paramount Parks.

With the ascension of Leslie Moonves and Tom Freston to the role of Viacom Inc. co-chiefs and Mel Karmazin’s departure, Dolgen saw that his future at the company was limited, insiders said.

“Due to the recently announced changes in Viacom’s management structure, the time was right for me to step aside,” Dolgen said. “It has been a privilege to work with Sumner Redstone for more than a decade and to have participated in the growth and success of Viacom.

In Tom and Les, Sumner has chosen exceptional executives to help him lead this company well into the future.” Sherry Lansing, head of Paramount Pictures, is expected to continue to run the studio, while Freston takes over the rest of Dolgen’s responsibilities.

While Moonves and Freston are great friends, Dolgen had been the odd man out at Viacom for a long time, insiders said.